The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  I closed my eyes and saw light behind my eyes.

  “Okay… now!” he yelled at me.

  I focused on the mass moving inside of me and I felt it moving into his hands. His hands started to shake really bad. I kept my eyes closed, knowing that if he didn’t say ‘stop’ then I had to do this. I had to get the nasty out of me.

  He suddenly pulled his hands from me and cried out. I grabbed the sheet as I sat up and looked at him. This nasty gray looking thing wrapped his arms and he grabbed the stuffed unicorn. He closed his eyes and started to chant in Latin. I understood two words, “Leave” and “Demon”. I don’t know how I knew those, but I did.

  He started to shake violently and the gray mass slowly slinked its way into the stuffed animal. He dropped it and threw his head back and cried out. I clinched the sheet to my chest. He dropped the stuffed unicorn and sucked in his breath. He held out his hands in front of him and looked at me.

  “It was a snake,” he whispered.

  I nodded to him. I couldn’t believe that it felt that way to him.

  “It was gray.” I said as I looked at the unicorn.

  It was starting to change color. It was a bright blue and now it was graying, like it was aging.

  I looked up at him and he stared at his palms.

  “I have never had anything feel that before, like it was digging right into me.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Sorry,” I said.

  He sat down on the bed and we watched the unicorn age on the floor.

  It started to lose its fluffiness and sank towards the floor. I leaned over to him as I stared at it.

  “What is happening?” I asked him.

  “It is being eaten,” he said. I looked at his hands and saw black streaks on his skin.

  I pulled his hand to me and stared at it.

  “Are you okay?” I asked him as I inspected it. I looked up and he sat there staring at my face.

  I let his hand go and clinched my sheet. I suddenly felt as naked as I was.

  “I will be fine, it just feels like it bore a hole into my palms,” he said, all calm.

  I shook my head at him.

  “Thank you,” I whispered to him.

  He touched my hair and pushed it behind my ear.

  “I would like to kiss you,” he said.

  I looked up at him and shrugged my shoulders. He leaned towards me and I closed my eyes.

  ***

  Josh, Sam, and Sara stepped out of the fitting room. The girl stood there with a piece of paper in her hand. Josh grinned at her and took it. He shoved it into his pocket. He looked back at Sara and she had a dress on her arm. He rolled his eyes.

  “I take it that you actually want that one,” he said, in disbelief.

  Sara grinned and held it to her.

  “Fine,” he muttered.

  I guess he might of felt bad for threatening to kill her, but he meant it. Sara stepped up the counter and the girl ran behind it and rang it up. Josh muttered something as he walked to the counter and pulled out his card. Sara snapped it from his hand and handed it to the girl. The girl smiled and ran it. Josh looked at Sam.

  “You should go. I will send a bubble to Elin… you contact Theodore,” he said as he turned back around.

  The girl leaned up and handed him a pen. He looked at the receipt and over to Sara.

  “Are you kidding me?” he asked her.

  Sara ran into the fitting room and started to change. Josh rolled his eyes and signed for the two hundred dollar dress. He dotted his ‘I’ in Barrington and the girl watched him. He grinned and leaned into her.

  “You look pretty,” he said to her.

  Her face started to get red.

  He leaned back as Sara jumped out of the fitting room and twirled in her new dress.

  “Well?” she asked as she stared at him and held up her hands.

  “Looks fine,” Josh muttered as he headed for the door.

  “Fine?” Sara yelled after him as she followed.

  Josh stopped and looked down the street. Sam stepped up next to him.

  “What is it?” she asked him.

  Sara ran up to them both. She placed her hands on her hips.

  “This dress is more than fine… it is designer ya know!” she said all flustered.

  Josh looked at her and shook his head.

  “Only you would be shopping while you die,” he said.

  “Well, if you are going to go… then go, looking amazing,” Sara said to him.

  He would have laughed, but he felt Rue. He could see a trail opening up to him. He looked at Sam and nodded to her. He flashed away from them so quickly it blew Sara’s dress up. She pushed it down and “Oh’d”. Sam looked at her and shook her head.

  “You are a pain in the ass,” Sam said to her.

  Sara shrugged her shoulders and Sam grabbed her hand. She started to walk towards the woods. Sara tried to avoid snagging her new dress on twigs and debris poking up out of the ground around her as they walked quickly. Sam stopped and looked at her.

  “Get on my back,” Sam said. Sara frowned.

  “I think I can run fast,” Sara said as she crossed her arms.

  “No you cannot,” Sam said as she turned her back to her and leaned down.

  Sara sighed and lifted her skirt, knowing that arguing with Sam would be a wasted effort.

  She hopped onto her back and Sam grumbled.

  “You eat a lot don’t you?” Sam asked as she grinned.

  Sara frowned and wrapped her arms around Sam’s neck.

  “No,” Sara said, sounding pissed off. Sam laughed and flashed forward.

  Sara closed her eyes and clung to her back as Sam ran so fast she felt like she was flying.

  ***

  Josh stopped in a field and pulled out his phone. He thought he could skip sending her a bubble. He pressed the button and Elin answered.

  “I know where she is… come meet me,” he said.

  Elin looked up at Jonah and grinned. Jonah nodded to her.

  “Okay… I will track you then,” she said.

  Josh pressed the button and sat down. He leaned back on his hands and hoped that Elin would move fast. He sat there for about ten minutes before he decided that he wasn’t waiting any longer for her. Suddenly Elin flashed up to him and stopped. She smiled at him. He shook his head at her and pushed himself up off of the ground.

  “What took you so long, Elin?” he asked her. Elin rolled her eyes.

  “Well, I had to say goodbye,” she said as she stepped up to him.

  “To who?”

  “Jonah,” she said.

  Josh looked at her and shook his head.

  “You are hanging out with cannibals now? Why am I not surprised.”

  “Please… stop acting like you are above everyone around you. Jonah is an ally, you ass.”

  Josh laughed at her and brushed the leaves from his pants.

  “Yea, if you trust in that.”

  “I do actually; you would be surprised how civil he actually is. He only wants the same thing we all do… the death of Caine,” Elin said as she relaxed her arms. Josh looked at her.

  “Don’t be disappointed when he stabs you in the back. Just remember that I told you so.”

  “So pessimistic, I can’t remember why I ever wanted to be with you,” Elin said as she started to walk.

  Josh caught up to her and leaned over to her.

  “You know exactly why,” he whispered in her ear. He flashed away from her.

  She sighed and flashed after him.

  I felt his lips touch mine. It was different than Josh or Johnathan. I didn’t feel a vibration in my hands, it was as close to a normal kiss that I could get. I guess with him being a rogue, he almost felt human to me. He reached up and touched my face. I thought that I should stop him at that point, but I was mad at Josh… I really was. If what Sara said was true that makes twice that he has cheated… I hate cheaters. I thought back to the conversation that I had with Sophia and
I lost my focus. I felt a bite on my lip and I pulled my mouth away from Blake. He looked at me, with a little blood on his lips. I felt my stomach growl. I grabbed it and looked down.

  “If you are hungry, I will feed you,” he whispered.

  I looked up at him. I needed to eat, but not like this. This kind of feeding just led to boobie grabbing and groaning. I couldn’t, even though I thought it would be fair. He leaned in and kissed me again, this time he touched my back and started to lean me back. I pushed on him; I was not going to lie down on the bed. Lying down also leads to all kinds of crap that I didn’t need. He shoved his tongue in my mouth and I felt him jerk away from me and as Josh threw him against the wall. I screamed out at him.

  “Oh my god Josh… Stop it!”

  Josh looked at me and at my shirt on the floor. He looked back at Blake.

  “I am going to kick your ass now,” he said to him.

  Josh picked him up and tossed him through the window. I held up the sheet to shield myself from the glass flying in the room. I pulled my sheet down and stared at Josh.

  “Are you kidding me?” I asked him.

  Josh stepped towards me and looked at the black mass of a stuffed unicorn on the floor.

  He looked back up at me.

  “He drew energy from you didn’t he?” he asked me.

  I pulled the sheet with me and ran to the window. Elin leaned down next to Blake and had a blade to his neck. I tried to grin at him, but he looked pissed. Josh stared at my back; I still had long red marks down it and one red mark across the cuts, connecting them all. He reached out to touch me and I turned to him.

  “Yes… I got cut by a rogue, Josh. Blake drew it out of me or I would probably be dead.”

  Josh grinned at me.

  “Blake?” he asked me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

  “Yes, his name is Blake,” I said, just knowing that Josh was about to go full-throttle ass.

  He walked to the window and looked out at him.

  “Is ‘Blake’ your real name?” he asked him.

  Blake gave him the finger and Elin held him in place with her knee.

  She still held the blade to his neck.

  Josh laughed and looked at me.

  “Blake?” he asked me. I shook my head.

  “Why does his name matter?” Josh stepped up to me.

  “You cannot tell me that ‘Blake’ is a good name, Rue. It sounds like some crap-name guys use to impress girls,” He added.

  “No, it’s just his name, His sister’s name is Bridgette.”

  Josh looked at me and shook his head.

  “Oh shit,” he muttered.

  I dropped the sheet and stood there staring at him. He got caught staring at my chest. He glanced at the bed. I shook my head and picked up my shirt. I pulled it over my head and looked at him.

  “What is up with the ‘oh shit’?” I asked him. He stepped up to me and smiled.

  “Well, Jonah ate her,” he said. I sucked in my breath.

  “What the hell?” I asked him.

  “Yep… eaten,” he added, like it really told me anything at all.

  I shook my head and ran down stairs. I opened the front door and ran down the steps, up to Elin. She looked amazing; I guess she must have found a way to feed. I shook my head at her.

  “Let him up!” I yelled at her.

  She looked behind me to Josh, who had followed me down. He nodded and she took her blade away from his throat. He sat up and looked at me. I held my hand out and he took it. Blake stood up and brushed himself off. Glass fell out of his hair. I glanced back at Josh and he grinned at me. I turned to Blake.

  “Listen, Josh is ummm, well.” I stuttered as I messed with my hands. Blake looked at him.

  “The boy who annoys the crap out of you, I get it,” he said as he glanced at him.

  Josh stepped up to him.

  “So what’s with the kissing crap?” he asked him.

  I stepped in between them and looked back at Josh.

  “It was my fault. I let him do it,” I said.

  Josh laughed and ran his hand through his hair.

  “Okay… and why?” he asked me.

  “Because, I wanted him to,” I said.

  Josh took my hand and started to walk. I looked back as I saw Elin talking to Blake.

  “What are we doing?” I asked him.

  “Leaving,” Josh said, sounding irritated. I pulled my hand from his.

  “Are you jealous?” I asked him.

  Josh stopped and shook his head. He turned back to me and grinned.

  “Of what...? A boy named Blake?” he asked me.

  “Yes, his name is Blake, Josh… so what,” I muttered.

  Josh stopped and looked at me.

  “You know that I love you don’t you?” he asked me.

  I rubbed my palms as I felt a vibration in them. I stepped back from him and stared.

  “You have to know,” he said again as he stepped towards me.

  I shook my head and turned.

  “Rue,” he said.

  I started to walk away from him.

  He followed me and yelled out my name as he spun me around to face him.

  “I love you,” he whispered as he leaned towards me.

  He grabbed my shoulders and stared at me.

  “Say it,” he said to me. I looked away from him.

  “Tell me that you believe me,” he said. I felt a huge vibration welling in me.

  I don’t know if it’s anger or love… sometimes they feel the same.

  “I don’t!” I yelled at him.

  “What?” he asked me as he held me tight.

  I pushed from him and started to run. I didn’t know where I was going, but it was away from him. After what Sara told me I just couldn’t look at him. I ran across the tracks and he flashed up to me. He tried to grab my hand, but I pulled it from him. He finally flashed in front of me and I stopped. I crossed my arms and looked at him. He shook his head.

  “I don’t understand,” he said to me.

  He pointed back towards the town and looked at me.

  “I bust my ass to find you and when I do you are making out with some rogue named ‘Blake’ of all things. Then I tell you that I love you and you run. What the hell is up with you, Rue?” he asked me.

  I looked down and then back up at him.

  “You did my BFF, you ass,” I said as I shook my head.

  He stepped up to me and leaned forward, looking at my face.

  “No, I did not,” he said.

  I looked at him.

  “Sara said that you thought I was a child and you were tired of me teasing you,” I said as I started to feel like I was in some romance novel. It made me sick to my stomach… I hate drama.

  “I never even talked to her. Sam and I just grabbed her from some store and fed her. She was dying Rue; she may still die unless Theodore can find a way to feed her or change her back.”

  I looked at him and believed him. I felt like a total ass for running like some heartbroken girl.

  I lowered my arms and bit my lip.

  “What?” I said.

  Josh stepped up to me and touched my face. I closed my eyes. There it was, that vibration that made my heart beat speed up and my head feel light. I sucked in my breath as I felt his lips touch mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he kissed me hard. We kind of got lost in the moment. Suddenly we were all over each other like two kids that know that they only have so much time before someone comes home.

  I grabbed his hair and pulled it. He moaned in my mouth. We sunk to the ground and he bit my neck. I threw my head back and cried out as I felt his teeth penetrate my skin. My eyes rolled in my head as a shot of adrenaline struck my heart like a lightning bolt. I pulled his head up and looked at the blood on his mouth. I pressed my lips against his and let the blood enter my mouth. I felt his hand on the base of my back pulling me closer to him. I pushed him on his back and crawled on top of him. I pressed my hips against his and he tu
rned his head as he made a noise that sounded like he loved it. I leaned forward and pulled his shirt over his shoulder. I bit into his skin and tasted his blood.

  My stomach ached and another place ached, that I knew meant that I was in trouble.

  He rolled me over and pressed his mouth against mine. He pulled back and looked at me.

  “Say it,” he whispered to me.

  I looked at him and crinkled my eyebrows.

  “Say what?” I whispered.

  “That you know that I love you,” he whispered as he touched my hair.

  “I do know,” I said to him.

  He pressed his lips against mine and I let his hands wander down my sides. He reached under his stomach and I felt his hand on my skin. I sucked my breath in his mouth, in a stutter. He smiled as his hand lowered and I felt him touch me in a place that he had never wandered to before. He gently moved his hand and I closed my eyes as color started to swirl. I arched my back and he whispered my name. We heard a throat clear and he stopped. We both looked over and Elin and Blake stood there looking a little surprised.

  “Oh,” I said as I started to sit up.

  Josh pushed himself up and held his hand out to me. I took it and he pulled me up to him. I looked at him and down at my skin, it was swirling with orange. I cleared my throat and shook out my hands. Elin grinned and walked towards us.

  “Okay… sorry about that, but we need to go now,” she said.

  I looked at Blake and he looked a little upset. I wanted to apologize to him for letting him kiss me. I never meant for him to get the wrong idea. I just felt so thankful that he saved me and I was so pissed at Josh, bad reasons, I know. I opened my mouth up and he turned and walked the other way. Crap.

  I looked at Josh and shook my head. He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. I knew that he was just thrilled that Blake got to witness us groping each other. Nothing makes Josh happier than causing other people to get upset. I don’t love it about him, but then again I do…weird right?

  Josh caught up to me and we sped up to catch up with Blake. He started to walk down the tracks. We stopped as something flashed across the tracks in front of us. I looked at Josh as he gripped his blade. Josh looked at Elin and they flashed out ahead of us. I looked at Blake and he looked at me nicer than I expected from him. Maybe he knew I didn’t mean any harm to him. Why did I feel so bad for a boy who had every intention of killing me? I was just a fool, I swear to god.